Written by Phillippa Biswell (Chair), Malcolm Adrien (Co-Chair), Barton Bauzon, Judith Betts, Scott Hardy, Michael Massey, Anna Lundmark, Denise Read, Ana Serra and Renelle Watson
What has been the highlight of your Branch/SIG this year?
The Local Government SIG’s vision is to assist LG in dealing with contaminated land responsibilities through advocacy, communication, and education.
The highlight of the LG SIG’s Work Plan for 2024-25 was our 2 day Local Government Contaminated Land Forum in Port Macquarie on 5 – 6 December 2024.
Day 1 of the Forum was structured in 4 sessions:
- State Regulation and Compliance (with a NSW focus)
- Panel Session – Managing Contaminated Land – navigating the planning legal minefield, when to engage a Site Auditor, when to involve the EPA, role of CEnvP Council perspective, etc.
- Legacy Contamination Challenges: Landfills, Mines, Asbestos and Lead
- Emerging Contaminants & Groundwater Management
Day 2 was comprised of:
- Workshop Session 1 – Environmental Management Plans and More Tips & Tricks
- Workshop Session 2 – Risk Assessment and Risk Communication
Attended by 82 delegates – we truly had a fabulous time discussing Council expectations for contaminated land management through our multiple perspectives as the planning authority, regulatory authority, and asset owner.
Thanks to NSW EPA for being our Supporting Partner – we are sincerely grateful !! Also we extend our appreciation to those companies who contributed via Trade Table sponsorship or funding attendance of Presenters – thanks for joining us.
What are you most excited about in the new financial year (1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026)
For the year ahead we have works in the pipeline of course – everyone knows busy local government people always have a wish list!
We will continue our works in the pipeline which include:
- training for council staff to develop their understanding and confidence in dealing with contaminated sites;
- guidance on best practice and current developments; and
- to convey council expectations to the wider industry, to help us all get it right the first time.
The LG SIG look forward to being active contributors and participants at ecoforum Brisbane 2025!
We are working on a training workshop; and understanding how we can best contribute to the Regulator Forum. We also hope that presenters from Local Government, as well as Consultants and Contractors working on our behalf, will present on topics including but not limited to Case Studies of Best Practice, Regulatory and Policy Developments, Sustainable Management Practices, and Managing Contamination in Queensland.
We also look forward to continuing our Meet & Greet’s with the other ALGA SIG’s so that we can develop and deepen our working relationships, as well as identify overlaps / shared purposes, so we can continue to progress our advocacy, communication and education goals.
